Dark Blue Depths
by FizzyLemon
Summary: "If you ever step so much as a toe into the sea, you will never dance again," The Witch's violet eyes were bright with fury. "The ocean belongs to me, and you are most unwelcome," Ariella reached out a hand, only to have it struck. "No! No begging, Princess. The time for civility is gone,"
1. Chapter One

King Leon was a year old when his twin sister was cursed.

He remembered the lonesome days in the castle, time spent alone with tutors or guards. He could remember the terror in the eyes of his parents as they found spindles or needles. He could remember a beautiful enchantress disguised as a kindly old woman who brought his sister to the castle once a year on their birthday, and the joy he found in her visits. He remembered also her absence when he woke in the mornings to the sound of his parents weeping.

The curse was meant to be a sleep-like death, wrought by a Witch jealous that she hadn't been chosen as a godmother for either of the twins. Thankfully their true godmother had shifted it just enough, just a little, enough for the curse to become a death-like sleep were it not broken before her sixteenth birthday.

It wasn't.

He remembered the terror of seeing his sister suddenly collapse in the courtyard on their sixteenth birthday, a slim, silver needle dug deep into her finger. He had carried her body into the castle, bemoaning her icy skin and the lack of color in her fair cheeks. He'd sat with her for months, praying and petrified, until a young Prince from a neighboring kingdom woke her.

When it was his turn to take the crown, he took it and fled to an island in the sea. His queen was a quiet, sickly woman from the Southern Lands who claimed the fresh sea air would do her well. Together they chose a careful assortment of servants without ties of any sort to magic. Their servants and cooks barely even believed in magic, let alone knew of anyone affected. The island was large enough for a port, the castle, and a small village between them. The sea people were practical in all things, and when there was only a quiet announcement of the birth of the Princess rather than a ball in her honor, everyone was more than happy with it.

Even though a curse remained far from his lands against his Princess, for his Queen he was helpless to stop the sickness that had always plagued her. His lovely Ariella was barely walking when her mother breathed her last and was laid to rest on the cliffs. She would never know the loss of her mother, for she hadn't known her. When she learned to swim before she could read, it was out of practicality rather than pleasure. She didn't know the fear of a curse or joy of a blessing, because magic was not something meant for her.

Or so everyone thought...

* * *

 _And so begins the story of_ **The Little Mermaid** _. I want to let you know ahead of time, but this will be different than even my others. I'm taking_ **Disney's** _and_ **Hans Christian Anderson's Little Mermaid.** _This one will be a little...different. I hope you still enjoy it!_


	2. Chapter Two

Ariella was glad for the sea.

She loved the rush of waves against the sand, and racing the frothing, rolling curls back and forth until she nearly collapsed with exhaustion. There were the snow-white gulls that squawked and hopped along the shoreline, turning back only to snatch away bites of her lunch or the fish she managed to catch. She named them, loved them, even as they whirled away to the mainland. She spent hours in the water, so long that the taste of salt was a near constant on her mouth. Her father said it was a special place, that it kept away the people who would hurt them, that it fed them and protected them. Her Papa was brilliant; why would he ever tell her something that wasn't true?

She'd learned to swim before she could read. It confused her when people said the water stung; it was impossible to believe the blue-green heaven that surrounded her would ever wound her eyes. She was the best diver on the island, even among the fishermen. The little girl knew the pattern of the tides and when was the best time to hunt for clams. The shoreline was her domain - the crabs and clams and birds were her subjects. Sometimes she found schools of silver fish so quick she had to surface with a gasp before she even came within reaching distance. Sure, she had her lessons in dancing and sewing and languages, but it was the sea she loved. It was her passion.

"You're like your Mother that way," Her father said over supper. "She loved the sun and the sea. I'm sorry you didn't get a chance to know her,"

She certainly had the Queen's looks. Her skin was naturally tan, although the sun enjoyed kissing it darker. Her hair was the color of the chocolate she was so desperately fond of, and many times she wondered if the King would ever agree to it being cut - even if she asked. Many times she looked at her mother's portrait and felt a swell of something - whether it be pride or fondness - when it occured to her that she would look just that way when she grew up. Except, of course, for her eyes. They were the blue of the sea, the color of the sky. Her Grandfather's eyes, she'd been told. A Grandfather she'd never met.

For all she loved the sea she'd never crossed it.

The Princess liked to go down to the harbor and watch the ships come and go. The sailors knew to seek her out first when they had strange cargo: a little animal called a monkey that had thumbs like her own and liked to be held like a baby, or even the deceptive pink fruits stark white on the inside, and bespeckled with little black seeds. Travelers and merchants filled her arms with gifts of books and art, then sent her running back to the castle, curls bouncing. All the while she dreamed of what it would be like at the bow of a great sailing ship, steering headlong into the white-tipped wonderland of the sea. Were there parties on the mainland? Were there horse races and festivals? Were there really christenings at the birth of children? Her questions nearly consumed her childhood.

By the time she was seven she was no longer afraid of hurricanes or thunder storms. Instead she watched them from her balcony, her hair pressed flat to her wet face and her eyes trained on the horizon. The lighthouse was a beacon of hope in rough storms, and it was in this light that she saw the most peculiar thing: a little seal. She'd never seen one so small or so alone. It bobbed on the surface for several beats just before a wave smashed it back beneath the sea. Ariella straightened. Where were the rest? Its mother? Its pack? Again and again the pup surfaced and was slammed by the waves. Her heart clenched in her chest.

"The cove!" She called to it, angered by the wind pushing her own words back. "Swim for the cove!"

But the poor thing couldn't possibly hear her. She knew if she went down to the beach she'd be in terrible trouble, so all she could do was be battered by the wind and the rain on her balcony. She called encouragement and direction well until Miss Carlotta came to tuck her into bed and found her soaked through, yelling at the sea.

"Your _Highness!"_ Was her shrill, horrified outcry. Everything about her nanny was shrill.

Lessons were a horror..."You stuck yourself with the needle again?! You're bleeding! My gods, you're bleeding!"

Meal time could have gone better..."A fork is not a hair brush! I don't care if it looks like a comb!"

And playing on the beach was one long, tedious string of _'"Don't dirty your gown! Please don't scrape your knee again! Princess, now is_ not _the time for hide and seek!"_

Still, being the only 'mother' she'd ever known had given Carlotta a fond place in her heart. So when she saw the short woman hurrying her way in her night clothes with panic and indignation in her eyes, the little girl had enough sense to at least look guilty.

"You'll catch cold! Come inside this instant!" She grasped Ariella by the wrist and hurried her into the warmth of her bedroom. She hardly realized how cold she was until she stood safely indoor, trembling with it.

"T-t-there was a se-se-se -" Her teeth chattered, and the poor girl couldn't help the sneeze. "...seal,"

"Don't be silly. This storm has pushed all the animals safely into their beds. You're going to do the same thing, as soon as you have a warm bath and some hot chocolate," Carlotta shook her head, and a curl she'd twisted up for sleeping popped loose. "Come on then, my little fish. The sea will be waiting for you tomorrow,"

She was subdued in the large bath by the bubbles and Carlotta's frantic, scrubbing hands. A pitcher of warm water was dumped mercilessly on her head, and she pushed her hair away from her eyes like parting a velvet curtain. "Carlotta?" The older woman pulled her to her feet and poured over a second pitcher of water to chase away the last of the suds, and wrapped her in a fluffy, white towel. "Carlotta, I don't think I need hot chocolate tonight,"

The servant laughed and lifted her into the air, cradling her like she wasn't nearly chest height already. "No? Not even with whipped cream or biscuits?"

Ariella considered it carefully as her hair was brushed, plaited and twisted into a tidy knot on her head. She was still thinking when a plush, pink nightgown was drawn over her head and she was tucked neatly in her enormous bed. "No," She finally said, putting on every air she could. "I'm simply going to go to sleep,"

"Very well," Carlotta said with a smile. "Let me just lock these doors so that the wind doesn't mysteriously blow them open," She used a key to bolt the double doors leading out to the balcony and Ariella only just managed to hide a whisper of frustration. "Good night, Highness," She left a candle burning on the side table and curtsied once before closing the door behind her.

Ariella was on her feet the split second the door swung closed.

She pressed her face against the coolness of the glass, struggling to see past the night, past the dark, and saw only lightning that left its mark on her closed eyes. Solemnly she returned to her bed and snuggled deep beneath the blankets. She wondered if it was the wind that howled and groaned around the castle like a macabre lullaby, or if the hint of a song was that of a lonesome, lost seal.

* * *

The next morning she nearly forgot to change. The seal! The beach! She tore herself free from her bedclothes and didn't bother waiting for Carlotta. Her dress for the day was lying on the chaise lounge. The long, blue skirt was just dark enough to hide the water stains when she slipped into the tide pools. It buttoned in the back, which she easily did, and she was just shrugging into the blouse when Carlotta strode into the room as if to wake her.

"Princess! You're awake already? What of breakfast?"

"I can't!" She cried, searching in vain for her shoes. Carlotta found them just beneath the bed. "I have to go to the beach!"

"Your majesty, please. I must insist -"

"No!" She said, untwisting her hair and tossing the pins onto the vanity. "No, Carlotta. I have to go to the beach!"

With that she was running, down the slick halls and winding, endless stairs. She nodded to some of the servants, waved to others, and burst through the ballroom doors and into the sunlight. Gulls wheeled overhead. The ocean was a crystal, flawless sapphire. The sky was cloudless and clueless to the storm the previous evening, and she skipped lightly down the dunes, expertly hopping on the most stable ledges of sand. She stopped at the shoreline with a gasp.

It was a _disaster_.


	3. Chapter Three

The dunes had been stripped to mere piles of sand. She'd never seen so many crabs in one place, or as much dead fish. The former feasted on the latter even as she drew near, heedless of her presence in lieu of a large meal. There was kelp and seaweed for miles up the coast, and she picked her way over and around the heaping mounds of driftwood. Her father would need to call for cleanup. The fishermen would appreciate the extra wood - it was no good for cooking or warmth - and the young mothers in the village would be grateful for the seaweed.

Ariella wasn't entirely sure what she was looking for. There were shells galore, which she carried in the skirt of her gown. She found sand dollars the size of her father's fist, and cowrie shells enough to string a necklace. She tossed the broken ones back to the sea, as well as a conch shell that still had a tenant. She continued down the length of the sand and around the bend toward her little cove. It was her private place, her sanctuary, and it reflected her in all things. The shelves carved by the wind and elements into the cliff that rose like a ceiling over her, were filled with bottles or precious shells. She'd dragged heavy logs down the length of the beach to act as chairs.

In the center of it all was an enormous rock that rose into the perfect throne for a little princess. She scrambled atop it and gazed around her hidden 'kingdom' and nearly frightened herself right off her perch. There, half buried by debris, was a girl.

Ariella slipped as she descended and fell to her knees at the girl's side. She was certainly no seal. A little girl wearing a large coat, but just a girl. Her face and arms were bruised, her mouth a thin line that a wheeze escaped from. The girl groaned again, and Ariella was astounded by her mane of white hair. Her skin was strangely colored, not quite pale and not quite ill, and in her hand she clutched a moon snail shell. "Hello? Hello? Oh please, you must wake up," She shook the girl's arm and received only a groan in response.

"Please, were you shipwrecked? Open your eyes, won't you?" Ariella shook her again, and _this_ time the child woozily managed to obey.

They were...they were violet! Not just a purple, but so rich in hue it was a wonder the color itself wasn't named for them. Her mouth worked as she tried to say something, and finally she shoved the shell she was holding into Ariella's hands. It was warm, she discovered, and a bright, ethereal yellow. "Will you...will you stand?" The Princess carefully tried to lift her, and finally the girl's feet worked. Still she did not raise her head, and Ariella quickly and quietly got her back to the castle. It was more of a struggle to get her up the stairs to her room, but when she had she firmly bolted the door and stripped the girl of her coat.

"Do you have a name?" Ariella asked as she tucked her into her own bed.

"Ursula..." Was the weak response. "I'm Ursula,"

She slept through the day.

It was hard to ignore the thought that there was a strange girl in her room, in her _bed_ without her father's or Carlotta's agreement. Ariella went about her day as usual, breaking her fast with a meal of iridescent fruit, rich yellow eggs and crunchy toast that had been lathered in jam. She devoured her meal and flew through her lessons at such a pace, one of her teacher's even voiced his concern that she wasn't taking her language lesson seriously.

"I have things to do," She replied haughtily. "I am a Princess after all,"

Once released from the boring nature of the day she returned to her room with a tray filled with food and relocked the door behind her. Ursula was finally sitting up, and her shortly cropped white hair was practically standing on end. She eyed the Princess with no small amount of suspicion before taking the food. "Where am I?"

"Um, my kingd-," She paused. "My father's Kingdom. The Isle of Aelhurst," She handed over an orange, which her guest promptly devoured. "Were you shipwrecked?"

"No, I was curious," Ursula wiped away the juice from her mouth and took a second without asking. "I was hit by driftwood and washed up on the beach."

"Why were you wearing that coat?" She gestured to the brown, sleek thing she'd draped over a chair. Ursula dropped the fruit.

"You took it from me?!" She threw the blanket aside and fairly collapsed. "How could you!"

"N-no, I simply had to get you out of it. It looked so wet," Ariella reached out slightly. "Please, you're hurt,"

"This belongs to me!" She shrugged on the bulky coat and then began to look frantically around once again. "My shell! Where's my shell?"

"This one?" Anxiously pushing her brown curls from her eyes, she hurried to bring over the moon snail shell. "You gave it to me,"

"I...I did?"

"Yes, and you walked with me up here. Mostly," She dropped herself onto the bed and the two eyed each other. She really was just a girl, Ariella decided. The coat she'd once again bundled herself in practically swallowed her. Besides that, her eyes simply looked too big for her head. Like a deep water fish. She'd seen one brought in on a fishing vessel, with its mouth full of needles and eyes so black they held the stars, and this was not different. Now that she saw her up close, with careful observation, she realized that the color of her skin was so strange because it was nearly translucent. In fact, if she looked hard enough, she could see the pulse of her blood moving through her throat.

"What are you looking at me like that for?" Ursula demanded, coming two steps closer. "I'll have you know _my_ castle is bigger! And my father is the -"

"I just think you're pretty!" The Princess blurted. "I've never seen someone like you before," Both girls fell silent again. "You...you live in a castle?"

"Mhm. My brother is in line to be King. He even has a _girlfriend,_ " She smirked the way only little sisters could about such a thing. "Do you have a brother?"

"No. It's just me and Papa. Everyone else is on the mainland. Is that where you come from?"

The white haired girl laughed so loudly in delight that she had to stifle the sound in the thickness of her coat. "The mainland? You're funny!"

Ariella pouted and fisted two hands on her hips. "Why is that funny?"

"Well, I mean, of course I don't," She finished laughing by wiping her eyes free of tears. "Seelie don't live on _land_ ," When Ariella's blank look didn't eet her standards she frowned. "What? Don't you know what the Sidhe are?"

"I've never even heard of someone like that. Where do you live if not on land?" When Ursula looked out the balcony doors, towards the ocean, her little heart nearly stopped in her chest. " _No,_ " She breathed, in awe of the possibility. "You can't!"

"Take me back to the sea and I'll show you," She quickly finished off the rest of the food - muffins and fruit and day old scones - and tightened her grip on the coat. "I'll share my secret with you!"

Together they stole out of the room and ducked this way and that avoiding the servants. Everyone was too busy readying for supper anyway, so it was little concern to see the Princess slipping away to the beach. Hand in hand the girls arrived back at the cove, and instantly Ursula made her way into the sea.

"Wait! You said you would show me!" Ariella cried, following her into the water.

"My brother said honor is the most important thing. I'm not too sure about that," The girl in the coat mused. "But I would like to see your reaction!" With that she tossed on a hood and ducked beneath the water. A second later it wasn't Ursula she saw, but a little seal with violet eyes. It swam up to her and tickled her hands with its whiskers, and rubbed affctionately against her legs. The Princess would have been knocked flat if a wave came.

"Ur...Ursula?" She reached out a hand and stroked her velvety soft snout. "You're beautiful," The seal gave a little barking laugh and splashed further into the depths of the sea, leaving a mystified girl with chocolate brown curls staring out at the horizon.


	4. Chapter Four

She'd always made conversation at supper.

Amid the clink of cutlery her voice seemed to rise, telling all who would listen about her day and the wonderful things she'd learned or discovered. It was then that her father's attention was solely on her, entirely consumed by her words, and his attention was a priceless gift. Tonight, however, she merely stared out the large windows that dominated the west wall. Floor to ceiling was glass, letting in the last rays of sunlight. Gold stretched up through the clouds at the horizon, and cotton-fine pulls of pink clouds. She saw purple there too, making up the shadows where the light quite didn't reach.

"Ariella? Are you all right?" Her father set down his fork and frowned through his beard. He'd only recently begun to grow it out, but she liked it. It tickled when he kissed her. "You haven't told me about your little gallivanting on the beach yet,"

"Oh!" She blushed slightly, shifting in her clean gown. Carlotta had nearly had a heart attack when she saw the ruinous state of her hem. A little tide pool wouldn't show - going out into the sea nearly to her waist would. Her new gown wasn't quite as pretty, frankly yellow wasn't her color, but the sleeves were short and the skirt was easy enough to run in. "Well, I found a lot of very nice shells. I think the beach needs to be tidied, though,"

Her father laughed. "It's already begun. Wise choice," Satisfied that nothing was too amiss besides her daydreaming, he tucked into his meal once again. It was a simple meal, as far as theirs went, with bowls of hot, steaming clams with lemon and butter sauce. He watched as his daughter picked lightly at the food, but mostly kept her gaze out the window. "What else did you do with your day?"

"I did very well in my lessons. Monsieur Dedeaux says my singing is beyond what he can tutor now," She beamed at the thought of it.

"Well! Perhaps when your cousin comes to visit we'll have you sing for he and his new bride," The King wiped his mouth carefully before taking a sip of the dry, white wine that accompanied their meal. He almost missed her astonished expression. "What Kingdom is she from?"

At that her father looked uncomfortable. "Well, from what I've heard, she's a merchant's daughter. Her name is Eleanor," He finished off his wine.

"But...he didn't marry a Princess?" Ariella nibbled at a clam. "A Prince doesn't have to marry a Princess...?"

"Well, now, don't think too much of it. Go ahead, finish your supper," He gestured for more wine and sighed as the sun slipped beneath the horizon. "I do so love this view. One never knows what's quite out at sea..."

"Papa," She interupted suddenly. "Can people turn into animals?" She looked up when she heard no response, and nearly fell out of her chair. Her father was deathly pale, his eyes wide and hands trembling. "P-papa!" She cried, leaping to her feet. She hurried to his side, continuously calling for him to respond.

It was Carlotta who calmed things down. She rushed in without announcement or curtsy, shoved a short glass of amber liquid into the King's hand, and instructed him to drink. His color returned slowly. When he finally managed to compose himself he coughed twice, thanked Carlotta, and turned an eye to his daughter.

"Where did you hear of such a thing?"

"N-nowhere, I just wondered if...if..."

"If people could turn into animals? What a ridiculous notion!" He slammed a fist on the table, and Ariella had the sense enough to back away. "I won't have such talk in my home! Do you understand? It is forbidden!" Another slam, this time so hard that it knocked the wine goblet on its side. "Not another word!"

Ariella found herself folded in Carlotta's arms and fighting tears. "Come Princess, come now, let's get to bed," The kindly woman ushered Ariella from the dining hall and upstairs to her room, where the little girl promptly burst into gut wrenching sobs. "There now, there there, hush," She clung to Carlotta as the woman stroked her hair and kissed away her tears. "He was frightened is all,"

"But _why_?" She wailed, properly upset. "Why would that upset him so much?"

"Because...well...can you keep a secret?"

Ariella thought to violet eyes and a sleek, brown coat. She nodded, and Carlotta firmly bolted the doors. "Come, this is a candlelight story," Together the two burrowed down in her massive bed. "A long, long time ago, there was a court made of little people with wings and _magic_ ," Ariella's eyes widened. "They could grant wishes. They could bless babies, or curse them. Now, some of the fae, for that's what they were called, thought honor came above all else. They would rather die than ruin that honor, and in thinking so they helped people. They kept careful watch of humans," She brushed out Ariella's hair with her fingers while the little girl considered her words.

 _'My brother says honor is the most important thing,'_ She swallowed. "What about the ones that didn't think so?"

"They were mischievous. They were glad to use their magic, and could even use it to change their appearance. They called themselves the Unseelie Court, and split away. Some people think the fae are in the air and the land," She tapped Ariella's nose. " _and_ the water. Some fishermen say they've seen beautiful women with tails, singing near reefs. People on the mainland deal with much more of the fae than we do on the island. In fact, I scarcely think there's one soul here who believes the old stories,"

"Why doesn't father want to hear about that?" She sighed, watching the candle beside the bed twist and dance. "How can such a wonderful thing be bad?"

"There are things that happened when he was a boy that frightened him," Carlotta kissed the crown of her head. "Go to sleep now, darling. Don't bring up such things around your father again," She stood, bent to kiss her once more, and left the candle. Ariella laid down, her hair a halo, and watched the flame cast shadows against the door. She imagined she could see the waves in those shadows, see the clouds and the gulls and a little seal bobbing through the sea, and it was with those imaginings that she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning she tossed a bottle full of flowers into the current.

She watched it bob out beyond sight, the cork and the bright yellow daffodils peeking into view every so often, until it suddenly looked to be pulled beneath the surface. That afternoon, the same bottle was perched on the rock in her cove with a darling little cowrie tucked neatly inside. So it went, day after day and week after week, exchanging treasures with her friend hidden from the world.

For a gift of acorns she received a perfect, pink pearl she strung on a necklace. A fistful of cookies she managed to break into halves and fit inside a wide mouthed jar, which she plugged with clay, and for that she found her cove decorated in the most beautiful, delicate blue flowers. She'd never seen anything like them, or the strange pastries that found themselves arranged on little plates. For months she saw neither hair nor tail of Ursula, and then one day...there she stood.

The two stood facing each other, Ariella in swimming clothes and Ursula in her skin, until they both burst into giggles and ran towards the sea. They spent the morning swimming and hunting clams. Ursula could dive without a breath even without her seal skin, and Ariella carefully counted the longer and longer seconds between surfacing. Her eighth birthday passed, then her ninth, and still the two kept their playtime a secret. The Princess liked to have a secret of her own. She liked the way her heart skipped in her chest when she snuck out of doors with armfuls of food or books or toys. She liked the heat in her cheeks when Ursula surfaced, all grins and white hair, sometimes showing the way her magic worked with the sand and the sea.

When she decided to teach Ursula to dance, she discovered she greatly liked the feeling of their hands clasped together.

She taught Ursula every dance she knew. When the fae grew tired and stretched out at the tide line, Ariella danced for her. She leaped and she spun until both of them were nearly collapsing with laughter. In return, Ursula taught her the magic of the seafolk songs. "Anyone can sing them," She promised, showing Ariella the proper way to hold herself while perched on her rock. "As long as you can sing, you can use the magic of it," The little Princess discovered not only that she could sing, but she was so very good at it. Ursula's eyes grew dull and dreamy. Dolphins surfaced, bobbing listlessly in the waves, and once or twice she spied what might have been a person. Perhaps just a seal.

"I'm thirteen today," Ariella announced one evening, after a long day of singing and swimming and an even longer one of lessons. Her head rested on Ursula's lap and the other girl combed her pale fingers through her long, dark hair. "Papa gave me that music box we were dancing to earlier, and a new gown. They keep getting tighter," The Princess complained with no small amount of irritation.

"I saw," The fae girl said with a blushing smile. "If I go to just the right place I can see inside your room. Is it the green one?"

Ariella nodded and stretched, smiling backwards at her friend. "You should come up to my room and see it! I'd even let you wear one of my others,"

"Do you...do you think we could get away with it?" Ursula looked toward the horizon, the darkening sky. "Tomorrow we'll try. If I get home too late, my father wonders what I've been doing all day,"

"Yes! Come early, at dawn, and we'll go up to my room and get ready. I'll say you're a girl from the village!" Ariella sat up and brushed the sand from her arms. "I can show you the market! And my horses!"

"Can I..." Ursula paused. "Can I give you a present?"

"Of course! You give me presents all the time, though. I don't know what sort of present you'd -"

But then it happened. Ursula's lips, tentative and warm, were on hers. The little Princess blinked with the surprise of it, but found she didn't _dislike_ it. In fact, it was rather nice. She closed her eyes and smiled into the gift, clutching Ursula's hand before she thought to flee. Both girls opened their eyes at the same time and nervously giggled.

"Happy Birthday, Princess. Tomorrow, then?" When Ariella speechlessly nodded, she stood to retrieve her coat and jogged back to the sea.

Ariella stood and walked slowly back to the castle, her cheeks aflame and her lips tingling, and wondered just how she could return such a priceless gift.


	5. Chapter Five

The next morning she was awake before dawn. She paced on the balcony, among the myriad of potted fruit trees and flowering shrubs she'd requested over the years, taking comfort from the silky feel of the leaves and petals until she saw a sleek figure make a beeline for the cove. She rushed down in her bed clothes, taking the steps so quickly she almost tripped. A few of the servants gave her odd looks as she flew past them. They were still opening curtains and airing out beds. Breakfast was still a building hearth fire and mixing bowls. Even the gulls were quiet as she skipped over and through sand to Ursula's side.

"Keep your coat here, just in case you need it," The Princess said thoughtfully, taking it from her hands and putting it beneath one of the logs.

Then the previous night came to them both, and they stood quietly. Bashfully. Ever so slowly Princess Ariella took Ursula's hand in her own and placed a kiss against her knuckles. Ursula flushed pink.

"Can we...I mean, are you..."

"You may," Ursula said, and closed her eyes. Ariella studied her face intently before swooping in to place another quick, cautionary kiss on her mouth. Her violet eyes sparkled when she opened them again. "Good morning, Princess Ariella,"

The two went quickly to the castle, tripping over themselves in an effort not to be seen. They narrowly avoided being caught by Carlotta, who seemed prepared to wake her early and ran outside when she heard that was where the Princess had gone off to. The young women bolted the door and drew the shades closed, then quickly began to rifle through her things. They pulled gown after gown from her expansive collection.

Ursula helped lace Ariella into her corset: "Really, this thing is torture! I can't believe my father makes me wear it every day!"

And Ariella found another that fit her friend's curvy waist: "I don't mind it, actually. It makes every part of me stand out!"

When the two were finally dressed, they appraised each other. While the gown her father had given her was perfect for traveling dignitaries and ceremonies, it was hardly appropriate for gallivanting around the village. She's instead chosen a day gown in a similar color, with a skirt that was only just short enough now to show the tips of her flat, black shoes. The full, lacy skirt beneath it gave the dress some volume and worked well with the corset to give her tiny figure some actual shape. She pulled on the top of the gown, since it too was just a smidge too short. It showed her collar bones and the tips of her shoulders. The entire dress was a shade of emerald that complimented her dark hair and bright eyes.

The gown they'd picked for Ursula was a pale, shimmering blue. The skirt was short enough to be believably that of someone who worked regularly, but with her looks it was almost too hard to pull off. The fae girl's eyes, for instance, were as vivid as the orchids that bloomed in the green house. The simple dress with the three quarter sleeves didn't take away from her looks, or the mischievous light in her smile. Her hair, naturally so short and slick, was curling in the dry air and left just one perfect swirl in her eyes. She looked like the type of young woman to have a secret. Adding a lace trimmed apron from the laundry didn't help either.

The girls were just mulling over how to make Ursula look a tad less regal, when Carlotta deftly picked the lock and swooped in.

"There you are! I have been looking for you all morning and I - Oh my goodness!" Carlotta put a hand to her heart at the sight of the lady standing before her. "Princess! Who is this?"

Ariella stepped quickly in front of her. "This is Ursula. A friend from the village. She surprised me earlier this morning, and we were going to spend the day together,"

Carlotta narrowed her eyes. Looked over the pale skin, the smooth hands, and the unflinching, mystifying eyes. Finally she nodded. "Will the two of you be having breakfast, then?"

"If it wouldn't be too troublesome," Ursula said quickly, taking Ariella's hand. Carlotta looked at their tightly woven fingers and smiled.

"Well then, a friend of Ariella's is always welcome. Come downstairs," With that she turned and left, throwing one more look at the giddy girls she'd left behind.

Ariella led Ursula down to the dining room arm in arm, now taking the time to show off the portraits of her grandparents, her mother, her father. She took her through the enormous and rarely used ballroom, pulling her briefly into a waltz before their laughter urged them to continue. "This is my father's favorite view," The princess said as she took her friend to stand at the full length windows. "See? You can see the sunset from here, and sometimes there are dolphins. We sit here and look out at the sea during supper," She thanked the servants who pulled out Ursula's chair and her own and straightened herself in her seat. "Um, Carlotta? Where is father?"

"He had some urgent matters to attend to, your Highness. I apologize. He'll be in the throne room until much later this afternoon," She clapped her hands and from the kitchen came a host of servants, much more than they normally had for breakfast. Ariella's eyes widened. "I thought since you had a guest, you might like to give her a bit of a treat," She took a chair to the left of Ariella and winked. "It's good for you to have some company at meal time,"

What a treat it was! Warm, crusty loaves of bread dotted with raisins and carrying dark swirls of sugar were set down before them, accompanied by a little dish of rich, golden butter. A tray of fruit was piled high in an assortment of sparkling colors, plump red cherries and bright green apples. Each of them was given a polished silver plate with two neatly poached eggs, a tidy pile of thick, salted bacon and a dish of warm oats. She discreetly showed Ursula how to add cream and honey, and failed to notice Carlotta watching the exchange with mild surprise.

 _'A friend from the village?'_ The woman wondered as Ariella served the strange, wide-eyed girl roasted potatoes and a sugar frosted cake. _'What village child sits so formally? Or acts like she's never eaten eggs before?'_ Carlotta was certain she would have heard if Ariella was a friend of some village girl, with how little time the Princess actually spent in the market or the baker's. Besides that, she was quite certain this Ursula girl was wearing the Princesses clothes! Something about the girl seemed off: was it the bashful eyes as they looked over her young charge? The way both girls seemed to be holding hands beneath the table, or even whispering together?

"Ursula," Carlotta said suddenly, putting down the knife she'd been using to scrape butter across a chunk of steaming bread. "What is it your parents do?"

Both girls froze.

"I'm sorry, I don't quite know what you mean," The white haired girl said, piercing a grape with her nails.

"I do apologize, it was vague," Her smile was tight. "Your parents, what are their positions in the village? How did you come to meet Princess Ariella?"

"My ah, my father..." She looked to be scrounging for words. "My father is...is a musician, of sorts," Ursula shifted uncomfortably in her high backed chair. "My mother died when I was very little," Her gaze lowered to the table. "Now it is just my brother, my father and myself,"

"Oh...oh child, I'm sorry. Was she sick?"

"No," The girl said simply. "She was murdered,"

Carlotta nearly choked on the wine she'd sipped. "W-what? Murdered? Here on the island?"

"Oh no, it was before we came here. We lived elsewhere. It was colder then, but I don't remember much about it at all," Ariella reached out to take her hand, and gave it a squeeze.

"I'm...I'm so deeply sorry. I didn't mean to bring up such a terrible thing," She pasted on a quick smile and picked up the knife once again. "There, let's talk of pleasant things,"

"In a way, it is," Ursula allowed, sharing a smile with the Princess. "Otherwise, I might never have met Ariella,"

She'd seen that look before in young boys and girls in the village. She'd seen it too in the King when Ariella's mother was still drifting through the halls. She'd certainly never seen it between two young ladies. "Well! I'm so glad you've both become friends. How did you meet one another?"

"I was swimming," Ariella said quickly. "She was too. We just started playing together, and that was that," The Princess took a small sip of her own drink, a mug of warm, cream and chocolate, and seemed to be purposely vague in her response.

"How long have you known one another?"

Neither answered.

"Well, let's finish our meal. I'll tell your tutors lessons are suspended for the day," She raised one finger. "Today only, Ariella,"

Nodding, eager, the two young ladies tucked back into their meal.

After breakfast, when they'd properly excused themselves, they hurried out of doors. "I thought my heart was going to burst right out of my chest!" Ariella exclaimed as she guided Ursula to the stables. "Why did you say your father was a musician? You're just as royal as I am," She helped Ursula over a short, stone wall and grinned. "It was quick thinking, though!"

"I was nervous too. I would have used magic to convince her I was some visitor she'd been expecting, but I'm still too young. I'm not supposed to use magic unsupervised," She breathed in the warm scent of fresh straw, the earthy hint of wet cobblestones. "What is this place?"

"We keep our horses here. I want to teach you how to ride," Together they went down the row of stalls, touching velvety noses and feeding treats to the mounts housed there. Ariella loved her horses - the white mare with a bashful personality, the chestnut stallion with one of fire. She showed Ursula the proper way to brush them down, and when they were discreetly out of sight in the stall of a new foal and its mother they stole kisses and giggles from one another. "I...I don't even know what I'm doing," Ariella laughed as they laid in the straw, watching the foal as it wobbled around the mare that nosed it along. "I mean...do you?"

"I kissed a merboy when I was younger. It was on a dare," The fae girl picked bits of straw from her hair. "This is different, though. This is nice," She grinned. "I like nice,"

Ariella blushed scarlet and pushed herself to her feet. "Then you'll love riding! Come on, I'll teach you," She took Ursula's hand. "Riding is almost as nice as this,"

* * *

 _I think you can kind of see the difference in my story. To those of you who haven't read my other stories and might be confused, I encourage you to read my other stories. It's a big help when I talk about other characters or places._


	6. Chapter Six

While Ursula was eventually comfortable riding one of the horses around the exercise ring, she balked at the idea of taking it all the way to the village. Was it the hooves that frightened her? Maybe the mere size of the animal? Ariella finally agreed on taking the carriage, and led the way. It seemed for all of Ursula's 'experience' with the world above, she'd never seen one before. The coachman, a young man named Elliot with a flair for jokes and poetry, held out his hand to help them both ran her hands over the canopy and seat, and matched Ariella's proper pose as she straightened on the bench. They started out on a lurch, the two horses pulling them going at a leisurely enough pace that the girls had the opportunity to observe a great deal of the island.

As they pulled into the village, Ursula's grip on her arm tightened. "What's going on? Is it always this crowded?"

Timing, it seemed, was in the Princess's blood.

Gypsies had come in on one of the most recent ships, and brought along all of their sights and sounds and smells. When they were helped down, and Ariella informed their coachman that they would be spending some hours there, he went off with a nod and a smile. Some of the children and other teenagers spotted them at once, recognizing Ariella from her few trips to the village. They pulled them into a game of tag, which Ursula used to show off just how experienced she'd gotten with her legs.

Up and down the square they went, gazing fondly at everything displayed. Ursula's eyes never narrowed, so awed was she by everything around them. And never once did the girls let go of one another. While they admired the fine sweets and candy at one stall, they kept their fingers laced together. At another, where a puppet show was being presented in a little, fabric tent of blue and white they linked arms and giggled in whispers hidden behind one another's hair.

Ariella showed her the bakery, where they were each given a tiny, steaming bun freckled with nuts and seeds. They were given gifts - hats with brims so wide they flopped in front of their eyes, bows of silk or satin or cotton, a little wooden toy horse with a sweet, nodding head when a crank on its side was turned. That didn't include the food. Once it was seen that the baker had given the Princess a little treat, the others were quick to contribute. Twisted, peppermint candy sticks or squares of bitter chocolate that melted over their fingers. They ran back to the carriage with their arms full and left everything on the bench, then hurried back to the square where the gypsies were preparing to play.

"Ariella, this is...I don't even know what to say," Ursula said as she looked around at the townsfolk, who were readying themselves for a dance.

"Well then, as thanks, why don't you lead?" She put her hand in Ursula's, while the taller girl slipped one arm around her waist. Both were grinning.

"I would be honored, Princess,"

With that they joined in the merriment, twirling and smiling and adding in the little leaps they'd taught one another practicing in the cove. Shoes made it different, skirts made it difficult, but they managed to look not only poised and graceful, but comfortable. By the time they were finished both were growing tired, and the had passed the highest point of the sky.

"Miss? Highness?" A gypsy woman approached them with a small smile and a bow. Her raven hair was threaded with string tied 'round shells and bits of flowers. Her bright, green eyes were lined with charcoal that swept out from the corner of her eye, and gold colored dust sparkled across her eyelids and into the line of her hair. Her lips were painted a deep, tempting red. She beckoned them closer with a hand covered in tattoos. "Princess, might I tell your fortune?"

At once Ariella stiffened, thinking of her father. Would he be angry? Would he find out?

"Would you tell mine?" Ursula asked quickly, sensing her unease. "I've never had my fortune told by a gypsy before,"

Mira laughed and nodded, and the two followed her just to the edge of the village, where the gypsies had set up camp. Dogs ran this way and that, tugging free bones or meat that they'd picked up from the campfires. There were children here, and nursing mothers to look over them, and more colors than the Princess had ever seen. They stepped into an enormous tent filled with pillows of maroon and gold, where the air was at once smoky and cloying. It reminded Ariella of nearly burned cinnamon. Mira gestured for them to be seated on several of the cushions. "What is your name, child?" She lit a candle and settled in front of them, taking care to spread her indigo, patch-worked skirt over her crossed legs. The white haired girl hesitated.

"Names...names are power. You have not yet told us yours," She shifted uncomfortably.

"Ah, you're wise, then. I am Mira, who are you?" The gypsy smiled, showing a bit of silver over one tooth.

"My name is Ursa," She held out her hand, which Mira took with a nod. The gypsy closed her eyes and began to wave a hand over the one she held, her fingers settling into the palm.

Mira stopped, her fingers growing still as they traced the fine lines in her palm. "Ursa, child, are you _supposed_ to be here?"

Ursula jerked her hand away. "If, if you're not going to tell my fortune then we'll just leave,"

"No! Wait, I didn't mean to anger you. I apologize. You...your magic is strong, child. I haven't felt many with magic here, although it is a charming island," She cautiously took her hand again. "Do you know what you are?"

Ariella went stiff. She'd never heard Ursula say it outright - would she now?

"I know what I am, and I know who I am," Ursula gave Ariella's hand a squeeze with her free one. "What I don't know, is what the future has in store for me. My grandmother dabbles in fortunes and the like. I'm interested in seeing what you come up with,"

Mira went very quiet, her fingers following the lines of Ursula's left hand, before she gestured to the right and continued there. Ariella wondered if it was always this quiet, if the haze in the air was there by some means other than the candle, and almost thought she was drifting off by the time their host spoke up.

"Your life will be a long one, as far as my kind are concerned. You will find love, you will find power," She hesitated and sighed. "I do not like to tell these things, but it is what is here. A betrayal, a close betrayal, a family perhaps. Your kind will not be accepted. Pushed aside." She didn't seem surprised when Ursula jerked her hand back and pulled the Princess to her feet. "If you need a place to stay, or an alibi for who you come with, you may use my name,"

"Thank you!" Ariella cried over her shoulder as Ursula pulled her away from the tent and toward the carriage. "Thank you very mu- ! W-wait up a moment!" She nearly tripped over her own feet, and it was Ursula who caught her. When she saw the tears gathered in her eyes she hurried to get her into the carriage, and found Elliot nearby smoking a pipe with a pretty blonde girl. "We'd like to leave, now. I'm growing tired," Elliot nodded, and helping to pull up the canopy. Ariella climbed in with some assistance and Ursula pressed close to her, hiding her tears in her shoulder. They lurched into motion while Ariella rocked her quietly crying friend, and wondered what on earth was the matter.

"Ursula, it was just a gypsy woman. They say that sort of thing all the time, right?" She stroked her pretty, white curls. "Don't take what she said to heart,"

"No, no she was the real thing. I could feel it. She had magic in her," The fae trembled and clutched at Ariella's blouse. "My grandmother says the same thing, when father is away. I think she's right. My family would be considered the Seelie court," Ursula wiped her face and sniffed. "Yet all of my magic...I just...I guess I treat it differently than them. My brother, Triton, he says he's to inherit the Kingdom and when he does, he's getting rid of everyone who practices magic for selfish reasons. Anyone who uses it for profit or themselves..."

"Does that mean..."

"Most likely. When I'm sixteen, I'll be considered an adult. I'll find somewhere to live, somewhere that magic is welcome. If my brother kicks me out, then...then..." She tucked her legs beneath her and rested her head against Ariella's shoulder. "Then I'll figure something out,"

Back in the square, gossip was already flaring about Princess Ariella's new 'friend'. Everyone had asked everyone else about whose daughter the strange, pale girl could possibly be...and yet no one had any idea. "She looks like royalty, she does," Said the baker woman as she carried in empty trays and wiped flour from her hands. Her children were learning tricks from a gypsy girl with too many layers to her skirt to be practical. When one of the children managed to make a small coin 'vanish' the entire group of them erupted into cheers.

"She's one of mine," Mira said, coming up and whispering something to the gypsy girl. The child handed out little bits of colorful ribbon, then went running back to where the gypsies had their camp erected. "You'll probably see more of her, and of us. We like the island," With that she went on her way, leaving the gathered crowd to wonder whether they wanted the full truth, or were happy to believe what she said.

* * *

They accepted the latter.

Ursula continued to visit the village and the gypsies. Ariella had dresses made for her, shoes and corsets. Ursula brought presents from the sea, jewels and treasures from shipwrecks. As time passed she grew as comfortable in the saddle as Ariella did, and her dancing was nearly unmatched. She met the King on a handful of occasions, but with her quickly explained away as a new friend she'd made from the village, he didn't have much interest beyond inquiring to her health now and again.

Ursula grew powerful, displaying what magic she could for Ariella without being found out. She shrank an octopus to no larger than her pinky, and the two watched it swim round and round a glass bowl for hours. She could change her hair color, her eye color, and even take on someone's voice. Ariella never asked what was happening with her brother or the Kingdom again, but she could guess well enough when her friend began to ask to spend the nights with her. The two cuddled together in the enormous bed, hidden from view by curtains and pillows and warm, soft blankets.

As for the Princess: she grew to be almost a copy of her mother. Like a wisp she floated among the people of the island, giving displays of her grace and charm and wit. When her portrait was painted and shipped out to the Princes of the mainland, her beauty became a thing of legend. A mysterious, dark-haired Princess alone on an island? Soon she lost use for her singing tutor and dancing instructor.

The Princess began to fill the role of 'Heir' as well as her father had wished. She seemed to grow more beautiful every day, her hair a dark curtain that was generally plaited down the small of her back. Her singing was unparalleled, her grace and charm and wit a subject of discussion among royalty on the mainland. Yet even as she grew, she seemed to show less and less interest in crossing the sea. She seemed content, even happy, to remain on the island for the whole of her days.

No one seemed to question the blushes exchanged, or the disappearing act the girls pulled whenever they were together. As far as relationships went, their's seemed to be growing by the hour, much less the day.

Not long after her fifteenth birthday had passed, and she was walking the length of the beach with Ursula, she felt the air grow suddenly chilly. It was as though the sea were suddenly set to boiling. The girls fled to the safety of the cove, and watched in growing horror as a hurricane erupted seemingly out of no where. Maybe it wasn't _quite_ a hurricane, though. It was more wind than rain. More crashing waves and riptides than destruction. "Ur-Ursula!" Ariella said, pointing at the shape of a sailing ship on the horizon. "Look!" She cried, as a bolt of lightning struck the mast. "Ursula, help them!"

For her Princess, she did. She threw on the coat and vanished in a sleek display of fins and fur through the waves. Ariella clung to the cliff wall, taking some bit of shelter from the worst of the storm. It seemed that the moment Ursula entered the water it subsided. The waves calmed, turning from a sickly green to their usual crystalline blue. She could even watch the color of the clouds bleed from grey to white, and once more their perfect day was on them. Abruptly Ursula surfaced, dragging something in her mouth. Onto the beach she shoved a prostrate body, blue as much from lack of oxygen as cold. It took a few moment for Ariella to get the young man breathing again, but when she finally did she looked up to see Ursula nowhere in sight.

Instead was a boy some years older than herself, with hair as black as a raven's wing and as unconscious as the day was long. "U-ursula?" She called uncertainly, going just the to the edge of the water. "Ursula?"

Nothing.

Hurriedly she returned to the man's side and took his head into her lap. She brushed the hair from his eyes and tried to wake him, finally resorting to the magic she knew lay in her song. She sang of how blue the sky was, and how warm the air. She sang about the promise of tomorrow and the delicacies of dinner. It was only when she began to sing in the sea language, a haunting melody that had little to do with words, that the young man finally opened his exhausted eyes.

"Your name?" She asked quickly, brushing her fingers against his cheek. He turned toward the warmth.

"Eric," It came out on a breath, and she bent closer to listen as he breathed in and pushed out his voice once again. "Prince Eric..."


	7. Chapter Seven

_After rereading the last chapter, I made a few edits. That's what I get for not proofreading!_

* * *

She stayed with Eric until Carlotta found them, and continued to stay at his side until the woman returned with help to carry him. Ariella had felt the firm, strong muscle beneath his clothes. She'd seen his eyes move back and forth beneath his lids as she sang, and when they carried him away from the beach and toward the castle she hastened after him, sparing only a glance back at the still sea. Where had Ursula disappeared to? She'd left without so much as a goodbye, much less the usual kisses and flirtations that peppered each farewell. Lifting her skirt, Ariella kept pace with the men carrying Eric's unconsious body.

"He said his name was Prince Eric," She said breathlessly, once she'd caught up to Carlotta. The guards carried Eric's body to one of the spare rooms, and one went to fetch a physician. "He swallowed a great deal of water. I saw a ship at sea, burning, and the waves carried him in," Carlotta steered her toward her own bedroom without a word. "Carlotta, is he going to be all right?"

"Of course he will. Now come, we need to make sure you're all right. You look like you got caught in the rain," Carlotta tutted as she helped the Princess undress. "Weren't you with Ursula? Where did she go?"

Ariella was quiet, and stared out the window at the calm, sunlit sea. "I don't know. I think...I think she had to go home,"

"Home? Really? I'm surprised she left you alone," With the princess bare and shivering, she brought over a warm, fluffy robe and brushed out her hair.

"I am as well..." Both women grew quiet, save for the brush combing out the wet tangles. "Carlotta, I think I'm going to rest for a while. I'll come down for supper, though,"

Carlotta curtsied and turned down the bed. "Of course, Highness. We don't want you to fall ill,"

So Ariella slept. Her dreams were terrifying, with horrible images of Ursula being taken prisoner or cast to other oceans. She imagined the sea drowning her, pulling her down into the darkest parts of the water. She could imagine the water filling her nose and her mouth and - She woke with a gasp. Sunset was spilling orange and purple into her room, and the Princess took a shaky breath to steady her pounding heart. "Only a dream," She reassured herself, pushing aside the tangled blankets. "It was only a dream," Yet the feel of the sea on her skin was so _real_. She could smell salt in her hair!

Carlotta knocked before entering, seemingly relieved to find her awake. "I didn't expect you to sleep the day away, dear. Why don't we get you ready? That lovely Prince Eric is downstairs and he's very anxious to meet you," She clapped her hands and the seamstress hurried in with a beautiful evening gown in shimmering, primrose pink. "Your father was waiting to give you this, but I think it's a perfect occasion," Ariella ran her hands over the soft fabric, marveling at the delicate stitchwork and lace. "Do you like it?"

"It's spectacular! But...why something so fancy for supper?"

No, this wasn't just fancy. This was a masterpiece. The skirt had been painstakingly embroidered with a lace edge not unlike the shells she found on the beach. It was satin or silk, and so many layers thick she wondered if it was useful or simply for looking pretty. Atop it was layered dreamy, primrose pink crinoline that had been pin tucked, with the dips in the fabric cleverly disguised with crystals in the shape of starfish. The bodice clung to her narrow waist, while the scooped neckline offered a pleasing view of her shoulders, even with the slash and puff sleeves nearly getting in the way. "Why would father even have something this beautiful made for me? The gown he gave me on my thirteenth birthday was beautiful but...this is beyond beauty, Carlotta," Even the shoes she was given matched, of such soft leather that she might not have been walking in anything at all.

"Oh! Oh, I almost forgot!" Carlotta hurried from the room without answering, leaving the Princess to marvel at herself in the mirror.

 _"Ursula would think I'm beautiful in this,"_ She thought, smoothing the front of the skirt to distract herself. _"I wish she was here..."_

"Here we are! Quickly now, quickly love," She delicately placed a braided, white-gold tiara in her hair and clasped an equally feminine pearl necklace around her throat. "Now you look like the royalty you are. Come now, darling. We shan't keep the prince waiting!" Ariella discovered then that while the dress looked burdensome, it was actually quite easy to walk in. She followed Carlotta dutifully down the staircase and towards the dining hall, pleased when she heard her father's boisterous laughter.

"King Leon, Prince Eric, I present Princess Ariella," Carlotta ushered her in with a smile. "I'll just leave you be,"

Eric had stood and crossed the room, if only to give Ariella a bow and a heart stopping smile. "You look beautiful," He said, taking her hand to place a kiss there. "Here, let me help you to your chair. You must have been exhausted after this afternoon,"

"I, ah, what do you mean?" She asked, blushing and flustered. She'd never met a man so handsome! His eyes were the blue of the sky at noon, his hair darker than midnight. His smile was bright and welcoming, and his voice sounded like he might just have an ear for music. "I should think you were the exhausted one," She thanked him as he pushed in her chair and watched him take a seat on her father's left. They'd found clothes for him, she realized, a white shirt a size too big, and pants the same. He needed a red sash around his waist to keep everything together.

"Prince Eric was telling me how you saved his life this afternoon. I could not be more proud," The King stated, reaching out to give her hand a squeeze. "You see, Prince Eric was actually on his way here to meet you. What a miraculous way to go about it, young man!" They both laughed while Ariella looked between them with confusion.

"Yes your majesty, she pulled me from the water and sang to me. I followed her voice out of the darkness. Were it not for her, this would be a very somber meal," The Prince raised his glass to toast to her, while she hurried to do the same.

Ursula had been the one to pull him from the clutches of the sea. Not her. But without knowing how to express that, she kept quiet.

Their meal was simple - roasted game hens with rings of potatoes and carrots. They had lovely, dry white wine and leek soup that fairly danced on her tongue. She hadn't realized how ravenous she was until she began to eat. Keeping out of the conversation was easy. Her father and Prince Eric spoke about his kingdom, his parents, the mainland celebrations and change of seasons. She learned that he played music, had a lovely dog named Max, and that the rest of his crew safely made it to shore.

She also learned he was available for marriage.

"Prince Eric, how long will you be staying?" She inquired, slicing into her warm, apple tart. The steam carried scents of cinnamon and nutmeg, and a hint of lemon. "I wasn't even aware you were coming," Ariella tacked on a smile at the end, to display a bit of humor.

"Several days, a week at the most. We'll be needing to do repairs on the ship now. Sir Grimsby, assures me the crew is fully accounted for. Even Max is resting in the stables," He returned her grin and lifted a forkful of the tart. "I look forward to spending time with you,"

* * *

Spend time they did. She discovered the Prince was nearly three years older than her, and an excellent duelist. She learned he knew several languages, and was as adept behind the wheel of a great sailing ship as he was with a horse. Max was a black and white mass of barking and sloppy, wet kisses, and it was strange to be enjoying his company so thoroughly when Ursula was nowhere to be seen. They spent some time swimming, although the Prince confessed he felt much safer in the shallow water or on the deck of a ship.

They walked the beach together, or read in the library. Sir Grimsby joined them for dinner all of three times over the course of the week, although Ariella suspected he spent his other meals with Carlotta. Together they were the perfect guardians, always ready and willing to give the pair space to talk quietly.

"My father died several years ago," Eric confessed one night over a dessert of lemon curd topped with clouds of thick, fluffy cream. "He meant for me to find a bride much later, but it's been quite lonesome with only my sisters for company,"

"A...a bride?" She nearly choked. "You came here to find a bride?"

"Well I mean, I'd thought it was obvious," Eric laughed away her concern. "I more came to meet you, to get to know you,"

"I'm only just fifteen!" She'd set down her spoon and found it difficult to breathe. A bride? Married? What about Ursula? Why couldn't she simply marry her?

"Ariella, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. Most women are married by eighteen, some sooner. I'm the first to visit you but I won't be the last," He reached out to take her hand. "Forget I said anything. Let's enjoy our last meal together," He tucked back into his dessert without another word on the matter. More would be coming? More Princes? She could hardly believe it until less than three weeks later, another came. Then two who'd timed their visits wrong, and by the time the fifth arrived she was tiring of the small talk and the politics. She was meant to look beautiful and act as quietly as possible.

So she kept her days by the sea.

Ursula's visits were sporadic, their stolen kisses all the more tempting for being so hidden. Ariella realized now that what she was doing was frowned upon. Were anyone to catch them together, she might never be allowed to leave the castle again. They used Ursula's magic to their benefit, disguising her into all sorts of people. Some days it looked like the Princess was spending a great deal of time with Carlotta. Others with the stable hands, getting more familiar with the horses. Not once did they see the Princess's fingers twisted in short, white curls. They weren't found in her room with Ursula's pale hands clutching her close.

"Ursula..." Ariella breathed one day on the beach, the two of them tucked safely out of sight from a ginger-haired Prince Hans. "Ursula, I have to tell you something," The kisses at her ear ceased almost at once. Almost. "Ursula, these men...they're going to keep coming," She clasped her friend's hands and struggled not to tremble. "I don't know if my father will have me go to the mainland next, he's being so quiet about it all, but I have to say this before I lose my nerve,"

Ursula stared with wide eyes.

"I love you, Ursula. I love how soft your hair is, how warm your smile is. I love you more than I've loved anyone, even Carlotta, and I just -" She nearly missed the tears rolling down Ursula's cheeks. "Darling, what's wrong?"

"Y-you love me?" The fae hiccuped, wiping frantically at her face. "You really, truly do?"

"Oh, I do! I do! I love you, Ursula. I'm sorry I haven't said so before now but I love you,"

"I love you, Ariella," They clutched one another, tumbling down to the sand in a heap of fabric, kisses and happy tears. "Wait! Wait right here!" She untangled herself, still laughing and crying, and went splashing into the sea. She sang something, a song so quick Ariella hadn't a hope of understanding it, and thanked the little silver fish that swam up to her hand. "For you, my Princess," She said, dropping to her knees. In her hand she held a little silver ring studded with a beautiful, purple amethyst. "I love you, and I want to spend my every day with you. We'll find some way to be together for everyone to see, but until then consider this my promise to you,"

Ariella's hand shook as Ursula slipped the ring onto her ring finger. "Are you asking me to marry you?"

"If you'll have me. I know we're young now, but your father is already looking for a husband for you," She kissed the ring, and Ariella's hand, and smiled. "Wouldn't you take me as a wife?"

"Oh yes, oh Ursula! I will! I will marry you!" They fell together again, laughing and kissing until they heard Hans calling for her some ways down the beach. "Quickly! Don't let him see you!" A final kiss, and Ariella was alone. She hid the ring until she was able to get back to her room, where she slipped it onto a delicate, silver braided necklace and hid it beneath her gown.

It stayed warm near her heart, and when the Princes had all gone their ways, Ursula stole up to her room to warm her bed. Moonlight spilled over them in the night, giving Ursula an ethereal glow as Ariella watched her sleep. The Princess thought only of her happiness as she drifted off to sleep. She thought of how perfect everything felt, how magnificent it seemed, and did not think to question it.

And perhaps she should have.


	8. Chapter Eight

The year passed.

Eric visited through the months, taking time from his own personal affairs to slowly encourage their friendship. She found she wasn't unhappy to see him, sometimes his easy smile even sent a blush stealing across her cheeks, but he never put the feeling in her chest that Ursula did. Eventually she introduced the two of them, claiming Ursula was a girl who visited with the gypsies. Even still she didn't reveal their relationship, or the token of it hidden beneath her blouse. The three of them would spend hours discussing mainland politics, their families and their passions. It was good to have solid friendships, and she missed them both on the few days she was alone.

One afternoon, as Ariella rode into town to pick out a gift for her sweetheart, she came upon the most curious sight. The gypsy camp was completely gone. A stray cat or two wandered about poking for scraps, but the campfire was long dead. The grass was as well beneath where they'd once set their tents. "Shouldn't they be here already?" She mused to her horse, patting the dappled grey neck. Usually when they left one or two would remain behind. Sometimes they might even leave items, like the wide purple sash they'd tied 'round the tree once, or the colorful bottles that sent rainbow prisms as they swung in the breeze.

Her stomach sank, and she pulled the reins around and rode at once for home. Her father would know. He was the one person that would. Certainly he'd been quiet and distant these past few months, but she'd hardly been spending much time seeking out his company. As she grew older, she was starting to become much more sure of her own choices. His opinion wasn't as often desired. She was dismounting nearly before reaching the stables, her riding clothes appropriately tailored now to include a shorter skirt atop a pair of riding pants and boots. Still, she lifted the front out of habit as she hurried through the halls and up the stairs.

"Father?" She called, pushing open the door to his study. He stood at a wide, long table with his chief adviser, although the man nodded in greeting before graciously stepping out of the room. "Father, do you know where the gypsies went?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes, I would think back to the mainland," He came around the table and placed a fond kiss against her hair. "We don't need that kind of trouble here,"

"Trouble? What trouble? They've been so kind,"

"Ariella, darling, there are some things you simply don't understand," He turned what looked like a letter face down and guided her toward her favorite, plush chair. "I think you're old enough now to know the truth though. Even if you don't understand, even if you don't believe, I'll at least have told you,"

"Told me what? Why did you push them away?"

"I didn't push them away. I banned them from the island. They brought magic with them, and that has no place here. This is a place safe and free from spells and curses and..." He cupped her cheek, and thought the tears there were from confusion and lack of understanding. He had no idea of the love he'd wounded.

"Tell me what happened, Father. Tell me the truth,"

"There are faeries in the world. Good ones and...and not so good. They call these bad faeries different things. Unseelie fae, witches, enchantresses...there are many names,"

So he told her. He told her the curse his father had fallen under before he was born, that had transformed him into a monstrous beast and the household of servants into teacups and candelabras. She learned the death-like sleep of her darling Aunt Rosalyn, whom she'd never met, and the elaborate quest her Uncle Philip had done to save her. With each story of the curses and those which meant to be blessings but still wound up ruining everything, her dread grew. Ursula wasn't a witch...was she?

She thought of the sporadic displays of her friend's temper, the miniature octopus they hadn't been able to change back to its self, the sea-song she'd been taught that put anyone who heard it into a trance. Could Ursula... _was_ Ursula...a sea witch?

"Ariella, I thought to keep you safe from it all. That's why marrying a Prince is important for you. You'll be sixteen soon, and I think that will be the time to announce your betrothal. Sweetheart, you look pale!" He wrapped her in an embrace and rubbed her arms, chasing away the cold of fear eating at her heart. "I didn't mean to frighten you. Come, is there something I can do to make you feel better?"

She looked at the map on the far wall. The mainland wasn't surrounded by the sea.

"Father...I think...I'd like to go visit Prince Eric, and meet my grandparents," She did her best to give him a smile, although it wavered. "I'd like to meet Aunt Rose and my cousin and his wife. Could..." She paused. "Could I do that?"

He held her as he contemplated, rocking slowly back and forth like he had when she was smaller, before he slowly nodded. "We'll go to the mainland. I'll send word to Prince Eric that he should expect us within a fortnight. I think we'll use that time to invite everyone to a birthday gala, what do you think? Perhaps your Aunt or cousin would allow us to have it there,"

In reply she went up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "I think that sounds perfect,"

* * *

She didn't tell Ursula of her plans. For a fortnight she kept quiet, enjoying her company but fearful all the while of her potential. As she stood on the deck of a ship, heart hammering through her chest and her clothes whipped by the chill, sea wind she wondered what Ursula would do when she surfaced to find her gone. When she came through the waves in the cove to find a little ring resting there, would she be angry? Would she be hurt? Ariella trembled at the bow and deliberately kept her eyes from the water. ' _Turn your thoughts toward other things!'_ The Princess scolded herself, and obediently thought of what she'd see on the mainland.

Her thoughts never could have prepared her.

The port city alone was as big as the island! Disembarking was as exciting as the trip had been, even if she'd gotten mildly sick for a few hours. Women strolled by in a hurry, surrounded by children or friends. She saw guards on horseback keeping order in the chaos, and fishermen and merchants bustling this way and that as they loaded or unloaded cargo. "Father I've never...this is incredible!" She breathed, clutching at his arm. He chuckled and patted her hand, just as a trumpet sounded. Her heart pounded once again, her breathing coming in short, terrified little gasps.

"Announcing, Prince Eric!" Came a call that sounded suspiciously like Sir Grimsby. The crowd parted, and there was Eric in much finer clothes than she'd seen him before. She curtsied quickly, just as he dismounted and came quickly to her side.

"You're here!" The joy in his eyes was evident. "I'm so pleased to see you. Your Majesty, and you as well," The King chuckled. "Come, would you like to take the carriage or ride? I brought a horse for you," He gestured to a snow white mare with grey spots across her flank.

"I think I should like to ride, thank you. Father, is that all right?" When he consented the two hurried to their mounts, where Eric helped her into the saddle, and they were off. He explained everything as they went, pointing out tailors and florists and butchers and bakers. There was a shop devoted entirely to oil lamps, and another to candy. They stopped to watch a man throw a long, stretchy length of pink around a hook on a wall, over and over and over, until he felt satisfied with the gloss and the color to pull it free and dice it up into little pieces. A girl beside him, likely a daughter, wrapped each one in a twisted piece of white tissue. Eric paid for a small pouch of them, and Ariella was astounded by its sweetness. They each snacked on the sweets while they rode, Ariella's wide eyes gulping in everything they could.

"Do you like it here?" Eric asked after a time, once the hubub of the city had fallen behind. They watered the horses now and again, while Eric pointed out other landmarks. "I...I do admit, I was surprised to hear your plans to visit. I've heard it said that your family never came to the mainland before,"

"My father is from here, as is the rest of my family. I think he was concerned something would happen to me." She stoked the neck of her horse as it drank, and looked afar toward the castle. She could see a number of towers and spires, as well as the fluttering of a flag. "Tell me Eric, are curses as wide spread as they say?" He helped her once again into the saddle before mounting his own.

"That's a curious question...Well, I should think they mostly target royals. No idea why. Although, I recently heard of a merchant who had a full twelve children, and the whole lot of them were cursed. Turned into swans, I believe,"

Ariella trembled. Swans? What would be the purpose of that?

"Please, Princess, I didn't mean to alarm you," He rode closer so that he might take her hand, and she smiled despite her fear. "Your father sent word ahead to have your birthday gala on the mainland, and I offered my castle. Your extended family has been invited, and all will be making an appearance. Would you care to invite Ursula?"

Perhaps her expression changed, if only for a moment, because he was quick to say that Ursula didn't absolutely, have to come. They could keep the celebration to those who had already received a summons for it. Ariella thanked him as they continued on their ride. His castle was a thing of beauty, with towers so tall they looked close to scraping the sky. It was equally as splendid as her father's, she decided, while their's lacked the murky moat surrounding his. "Come, we'll leave the horses in the stable and I'll take you up to your room. I'm sure it was a tiring journey,"

"Hmm? Oh yes, quite exhausting," In all honesty she barely glanced at the interior of the castle, she was so trapped within her own thoughts. However, when he led her through a marble laid entry hall and up a sloping, maroon staircase she had to take notice. Opulence met her around every corner. There were crystal vases filled with fresh roses, and neatly beaten tapestries warmed the walls. Her room overlooked a garden of fruit trees and flowers, with a spacious armoire for her gowns and an equally large, four poster bed. Ariella fondly stroked the canopy and thanked Eric, who politely nodded and stepped out.

She was torn. Hunting around the castle seemed like a good idea in theory, but she was positive her father would be upset. He seemed on edge on the mainland, and the princess had no doubt he was harboring unease for the amount of strange people. She shed her traveling gown and slunk beneath the blankets of the large bed, and tried to will herself into a place of quiet serenity.


	9. Chapter Nine

The days passed in a whirlwind of activity. Men and women came and went with flowers or garland, and seamstresses appeared to need to fit her daily. A baker came one day at luncheon to inquire about her favorite flavors, and presented her with an array of cakes and sweets that fairly made her eyes bulge. One the fourth day of their visit, they were summoned to the courtyard to meet the first of many guests. Her hair had been bound up into a tight bun atop her head, with her glittering tiara in place. Her gown was beautiful, green ombre silk with a sweetheart neckline that might have taken a year to complete if the seamstresses didn't possess their skill. It was an olive green that complimented her skin and hair that gently faded to a sage green at the center of the gown, and it did wonders for her eyes. Beaded lace framed the chest panel, and inside she was trapped within a net of boning that kept the skirt away from her legs. She was anxious to meet the first guests, and wondered which of her family it would be.

When the carriage pulled to a stop, and her father rushed forward to help an older yet graceful couple from it, she couldn't help smiling. This was her grandmother! Her grandfather! They'd aged remarkably well. Her grandmother, Belle, had streaks of white through her dark hair and smile lines framing her mouth. Her chocolate eyes held laughter and concern as she looked over her son, fingering his recently cut hair before pulling back to look him over. Her grandfather, Adam, was much more composed and with a head of almost entirely white hair. He looked tired, but pleased to see his son.

Ariella kept quiet while they said their hellos, and when her father brought them toward her she lowered into a deep curtsy. When she lifted her head, all three were smiling down at her.

"My goodness, Leon! She's a mirror image of her mother!" The Queen embraced Ariella, and without even a finger of concern she returned the gesture. She smelled of roses and freshly tilled soil and sunlight. The dress had the soft feel of a favorite. It made Ariella feel right at home, and she hugged the woman until they both were forced to step away. "Come little Ariella, and tell me all about your island! It sounds like a marvelous place!" Arm in arm the two women hurried into the castle to seek out the library, so Ariella could fill her grandmother with all the stories that had never been written.

Her Aunt and Uncle arrived closer to evening, and she could see how her Aunt's beauty had trapped Uncle Phillip's heart. Her cousin arrived with his bride, Eleanor, and she was finally able to wish them all the blessings she'd thought of previously. From there the company grew increasingly uncomfortable. Princes she had and hadn't met, as well as other Nobility or titled members of the Kingdoms were brought to her. She gave her gracious greetings again and again until Eric and her Grandmother noticed her discomfort, and claimed it was time for everyone to retire for the evening. With two incredibly influential people announcing so, there was none that could refuse. Ariella was glad to retreat to her rooms, although she spent a great deal of time on her balcony staring out toward the sea.

She went in only when she thought she heard the mournful wail of seals.

What she'd thought was a whirlwind before turned into a tempest as the servants transformed the castle into the stuff of legends. She was not privy to it, rather she was kept confined to her room as she was groomed for the evening. Her long, heavy hair was brushed and heated with an iron until it hung as straight as a tapestry and laid obediently in a sheet around her shoulders. Her skin was scrubbed pink, and a hot bath of lavender water left her smelling of the garden. Ariella paced anxiously in her corset and underthings as the seamstresses went to fetch her gown, and found herself staring out the window again. She knew what was expected of her this evening - a betrothal was on everyone's minds. She'd even heard her Father discussing it with her Grandmother and Aunt. Would Ursula forgive her?

"Princess, your gown is ready," Ariella turned, ready to bestow a gracious smile, and instead found herself frozen by the sight before her. This was not a _gown_. This was a masterpiece! Gold lace lined the scooped neckline, and formed a point at the tight bodice, and gold ribbon laced up the back to disguise the ties of her corset. The dress itself was varying shades of blue, with so many layers of tulle it was impossible to point out one from the other. The full skirt fit well over the boning that held its shape, and she held a small breath as she was laced in. The sleeves were little more than gossamer fabric that laced onto her arms, and she felt like one of the spirits of the air the gypsies talked about. Her tiara

She stepped forward in awe, her fingers beseeching permission to touch it. The servants helped her into the gown, and she stroked the soft material reverently as they angled a mirror to show her the finished product. High, golden heels helped remind her to keep her head high. Then she was escorted down to the ball. Everywhere she looked was gold and blue and silk and laughter. Women and men spun together in a dizzying display of bodies, and musicians played lively from their assigned place near the enormous windows. On the horizon, the sky had turned into a marvelous canvas of pink and gold. She was still taking in everything she could when silence settled over the room and she was announced. Curtsying to her guests, she found herself blushing at the attention - right until Eric came to take her hand. Together the two led the crowd into another dance.

As the sun set and the evening progressed, she was shown to the grand hall. It was here that food had been generously served on the long tables. Everything was her favorite! There was roasted lamb and lobsters in abundance, as well as small meat tarts no larger than a coin. She saw pies in the shapes of roses made from thin, apple slices and dusted with powdered sugar, and an enormous bowl of garden greens with edible flowers. She sat with Eric and enjoyed a delicious, tart pomegranate soup before they were swept up into even more dancing. Other Princes came to inquire after their turn, and she enjoyed a delightful time with each of them. Ariella was enjoying her birthday so immensely, that when the doors at the end of the ball room opened she turned to greet the new arrival with a smile - which plummeted straight to her shoes.

"Ursula," She choked, and found her Grandmother's arm was there to catch her as she lost her footing. The musicians had fallen silent, their instruments mere weights in their useless hands. Ursula _did_ stand there, but not as she'd ever seen her. Flanking her on either side were two scrawny, grey dogs with wicked looking teeth and yellow eyes. They circled her and one another constantly.

"Ariella, do you know her?" Her grandmother had a strange look on her face, and a firm arm around Ariella's waist. It was all that was keeping her from collapsing.

"I did,"

It was true. She didn't know who _this_ was. This was a stranger in a stunning black and purple gown. This was a Sorceress, whose violet eyes were awash with grief and fury, whose clenched fists spoke volumes, and whose gentle smile terrified her beyond all reason. Without asking for permission Ursula removed Ariella from her Grandmother's hold. The musicians began to play with a mere wave of her hand, and their glassy eyes stared off at something only they could see. The melody was haunting.

"Happy Birthday, Ariella," There was no warmth in her words. "You seemed to have forgotten my invitation,"

"I don't -"

"Stop, I'm not stupid. I saw the ring you left behind. I see the way you look at your Prince. I remember what Mira told me," She abruptly pulled the Princess close and claimed her mouth in a scorching kiss. It was unlike anything Ariella had ever experienced, and even as her body pressed flush against that of the one other person she knew so intimately, she fought to pull free. "A gift first, to show I am not all wickedness," Ursula laughed as she released her. The two hounds came quickly to her side. "And now the curse,"

Ariella's aunt cried out, and she heard her father pleading, but could only stare. A...curse? Her feet were rooted to the spot. "Ursula, please,"

"If you ever step so much as a toe into the sea, you will not dance again," The words struck her like a physical blow. The Witch's violet eyes were bright with fury, and glistened with tears. "The ocean belongs to me and you are most unwelcome!" Ariella reached out a hand, only to have it struck. "No! No begging, _Princess_. The time for civility is gone,"

"You dare curse my daughter?" Her father finally spoke, shaken free at last from his terror. "How dare you!"

"How dare I? Good King, your daughter brought this upon herself. I gave her that which I held most dear and she crushed it beneath her heel. I mean only to separate myself from her forever, and by reclaiming the sea as my own I make certain this will happen!"

"Ursula, no! I don't care if I never dance again!" Ariella said, and drew her hands clasped in prayer to her chest. "I beg of you, don't do this!"

"You looks then!" Ursula whirled to face her. "You will be unrecognizable!"

A harsher blow, but she took a step forward. "I don't care,"

"Your voice. Never again shall you laugh or sing or speak. Your voice, your legs and your looks," She began to back away from the ballroom. "Don't you do it, Ariella. I'll take and take until there is nothing left for anyone to love. Let alone me," There was a clap like thunder, and a rushing of water, and suddenly all was as it was before. The guests looked uneasily between themselves, until their eyes finally landed on the little Princess standing alone in the center of the dance floor. Slowly, slowly, she sank to her knees.

And then she wept.


	10. Chapter Ten

She couldn't remember the rest of the ball. She hardly remembered the rest of the week.

Someone took her to her chambers and removed her gown. Her hair was combed out and plaited. Her face was washed, her hands perfumed. She was tucked into bed, and a fire was lit in the hearth. She lay awake long past dawn, her cheeks raw from the tears that streamed steadily onto her pillow. In the morning she was bathed and dressed, her hair brushed again. Someone - was it Carlotta? - offered her suggestions on gowns to wear, but her heart was so hollow and bruised that she couldn't find the strength to answer. Eventually someone took pity and chose for her, and led her to the dining hall. She sat between Eric and her father and stared dumbly at the food before her.

For days it was the norm. Her aunt kept to her room, terrified and practically grief stricken. Her cousin and his bride had returned home. Her grandparents lingered as well, consoling both of their children who'd been so wounded by curses. Her grandfather gave her strange glances; it looked like he wasn't sure whether to pity her or step alongside and say that he knew how she felt. Her father avoided her, as usual, this time out of despair. He'd failed her in the one thing he'd set out to do. Her grandmother tried bringing her to the library, to the garden. She walked with her and talked to her, but could do nothing to bring the Princess out of her despair.

Otherwise she sat, without hunger or thirst, and stared out at the sea. As much as Ursula's loss was a terrible weight, the sight of the ocean was enough to drive her mad.

She would never again skip through the surf, or feel the waves swelling at her waist. Never again would she swim or dive or float. On the twelfth, over an untouched bowl of oats, honey, strawberries and thick cream she suddenly pushed back her chair and bolted for the doors. Panic seized her chest. Eric and her father leaped to their feet, while her grandmother clutched her grandfather's hand, and Aunt Rose made a little strangled sound in the back of her throat.

"Ursula was lying!" She cried when she felt strong, steady arms wrap around her waist. Tears choked her, and her breath was more of a gasp than an inhale. "I know she hates me now, but she must have been lying! She wouldn't take all of the sea from me!" The figure clutching her grasped her shoulders and turned her, so that she was looking up into Eric's concerned face. The Prince slowly released her, but opened his arms. "E-eric she...she wouldn't...she..." Without further encouragement she threw herself into his embrace, and pressed her face against his chest. Ariella sobbed against him. He let her grieve, and when she finally pulled away she realized the others had left them alone.

"Ariella, will you come speak with me in private a moment? Somewhere you'll enjoy," He crooked his elbow, and she curiously threaded their arms together. "We'll go to the gardens. I haven't shown you their full expanse,"

He took her a way she hadn't gone before, through both the kitchen and impressive servant's gardens and courtyard, and through a freshly painted, white wooden door. The silver latch clicked as he ushered them in, and at once her tears began to ebb. This was the heart of the royal gardens. Tropical flowers in millions of colors surrounded them on all sides, bathing them in their heavy, exotic perfume. Enormous, fruiting trees shaded them from the harsh morning sun, and although she could hear the waves crashing into the breakers, it was impossible to see them with the high stone wall that surrounded them. It felt similar to home - blocked away from the world in one form or another, and surrounded by beauty.

"It's beautiful," She admitted, finally loosing her hold on his arm. Ariella stepped toward a Bird of Paradise and ran her fingers down the thick, dark leaves.

"It would be yours, if you would have it," Eric stood stiffly nearby. She glanced toward him and saw just how nervous he suddenly was. "Ariella, when I first came to your island it was in the hopes of winning your heart. You're clever and kind, and you see more than others realize there is to see. I grew to care for you, and thought that by accepting my invitation here you'd finally grown to care for me in equal measure," He swallowed. She froze. "I...I can see now that you had already given your heart away. I should have seen it before, but I was blinded by your beauty and my own desire. So I would," He looked down at his shoes and lowered his voice. "I would settle for your hand,"

The princess stood frozen to the spot, her fingers on the plant as if she meant to keep it as a lifeline. Was this...was this a formal proposal? Was there supposed to be more fanfare than this? The only engagement she'd had was with - again she couldn't find the air to breathe, and he seemed to either sense or see her distress, as he came quickly to her side and took her arm, which he used to guide her toward a low, wooden bench. Her heart hammered behind her ribs.

"I know what I ask is not easy, but I can keep you safe. You would not want for anything, and our kingdoms would be united and strengthened. We would live here, so you won't have to board a ship and risk touching the sea, and it would not surround you any longer. We could make the walls higher, and our rooms would not overlook the sea. Anything you ask of me, I would give you," He took both of her hands, so that she was forced to stop fidgeting and meet his eyes.

"We would...our marriage would need to be legal," The words came haltingly, for in truth they frightened her. What would it be like to share his bed? "I would need to give you a son,"

"Or a daughter, yes," He said quickly. "An heir would be expected. It would be all I ask in return. You do not mind making me your husband?" He quirked a smile, though it did not meet his eyes.

"No, Eric, I do not mind," She felt his strong hands tighten around her own. Perhaps that was what stopped the trembling. "You are a kind and generous friend, and I should do well to enjoy your company as your wife. You...you do not mind that I cannot give you my heart?"

"I do not mind,"

So it was decided.

Their engagement was quietly announced and, although preparations began at once, Ariella found herself entirely disinterested. Invitations were sent out, menus were crafted. She found herself wandering the halls and rooms without much sense to any of it. Meals were attended with a polite smile and a nod, and her family left for their own Kingdoms. It was her Aunt that left first, a nervous flutter of a woman whose smile didn't quite meet her eyes. It was such a stark difference from the tall, graceful woman who'd first arrived that Ariella found herself shrinking against Eric's steady grip. Her Uncle Phillip kissed her lightly on either cheek.

"You must understand, when your Aunt fell under her sleeping curse she...she knew what was happening to her. She was aware of what was happening. Spells and curses seem to push her back into that moment. It's terribly frightening for her," He turned to look at his wife, who'd sequestered herself in their carriage without a word. "We...your cousin...we kept his identity a secret well until he was wed. It was the only way we could think to keep him safe. It's a reason we never had other children. We were terrified to invite any of the fae, even for a godmother for him, and couldn't handle the stress for another child,"

"How could you keep from having children?" She asked quietly, when Eric stepped away to speak with her father. "Is that...possible? I'm frightened that she might come back," Not a complete lie, at least.

Her Uncle pressed his lips so tightly together that Ariella wondered if she'd angered him. Then, he leaned close and whispered in her ear. The Princess's eyes widened. Was it truly so easy? He kissed her once more on her cheek, said his goodbyes and the carriage lurched away. Eric and her father went back into the castle to continue with the wedding plans, this time to discuss the security for the event. Ariella clasped her hands tightly in front of her gown and shivered. A simple tea made from a plant she already knew grew in the garden? That could keep her from having children with Eric? She lifted her skirts and hurried through the castle to her private sanctuary to think, her heart a little pounding thing inside her chest.

"Only for a little while," She promised herself. "Only until I'm ready to have children,"

* * *

The ceremony took place precisely four months, six days and twelve hours since her heart had been shattered.

Eric did a splendid job of picking up the pieces of what was left of it, even if she hadn't a clue as to what could repair it. She'd been drinking the tea her Uncle told her about for nearly three months, and she didn't _feel_ any different. Things still seemed to come as they should, but hopefully a child wouldn't. She stood trembling in her exquisite, white gown and tried very, very hard not to think about all the people watching her. Carlotta and a team of women had worked carefully together to convince her hair into curling just right, and they'd braided a new white-gold tiara into it.

Her wedding gown was certainly impressive: it reminded her of the gown she'd first met Eric in. Rather than the pink however, she was bathed in iridescent white. Even the puffed sleeves and scooped neckline were a similar match. As she'd been preparing that morning, Carlotta brought out a necklace she thought would go well, and Ariella thought for a moment the ground had given way beneath her feet. The little pink pearl strung on a delicate silver chain was an almost welcome reminder of all she'd lost.

Now she touched it, her fingers searching for the reassuring and familiar as Eric vowed to stand always at her side, and care for and love her. She echoed his words, her lips trying to form the lies clearly, and thankfully no one expected her to be entirely dry eyed as her new husband slid a wedding band onto her finger. They kissed, tentative and unsure, and the gathered nobles and villagers cheered. The noise crashed over her like the waves, and she clung to Eric's arm as he led her to the carriage that would take them to the banquet back in the castle.

"That wasn't so hard now, was it?" Eric asked as they made their way through the streets. Those who hadn't been able to attend the formal ceremony and wouldn't be permitted to the banquet lined the streets to throw roses and gifts to them. Some of them made it into the open windows of the carriage, and Ariella shook her head while she admired a small bouquet of peonies that landed squarely on her lap.

"No, it...it wasn't," The ceremony never concerned her. It was what was meant to come later that night that twisted her stomach into knots.

"Ariella, might I...might I kiss you again?"

She looked toward him and tried to quell the trembling in her hands. "I suppose it should look more natural,"

He leaned forward and gently cupped her chin, and she closed her eyes as he drew close. Unlike the quick kiss of the ceremony, she could feel him studying her. His thumb traced her nose and lips, until finally he closed the distance and pressed their lips together. It was warm, and her mouth found itself giving in to the questioning pressure of his. Her body was responding at least, her hands found themselves wrapping around his neck to pull him closer, and she wondered if it was the desire for intimacy or the panic of needing to fill a hollow. By the time they'd parted, both breathless and a little dizzy, the carriage was pulling up in the courtyard.

When the footman opened the door, Eric stepped out first and then held out his hand. "We're in this together now," He murmured as she slipped her hand into his. Her stomach fluttered somewhat nervously at the thought. They were _together_ now. For better or worse, she had agreed to this marriage for...protection? Fear? A way to get over the hurdle that was her grief? Once inside the grand ballroom, which was elaborately decorated in their honor, she did her best to enjoy the moment. Her father would be returning to the island soon, and the rest of her family would slowly go back to their own kingdoms. Ariella smiled and laughed with all of them, and allowed the ladies of the court to pay her every compliment.

The candles dripped low as they feasted on soups and seafood, roasted mutton and fowl, and enough desserts to make her teeth ache. When it was finally time to retire, she followed Eric to his...to _their_ room.

 _Perhaps_ _one day I'll love him,_ She thought as his hands became familiar with her body. _Maybe one day I'll finally be glad for this, and I'll want a child with him. Perhaps one day I'll regret not admiring my wedding day a little more,_ Yet as the distant, mournful wails of the seals was carried in on the wind, and she and Eric were fully wedded in the eyes of the law, she wondered if it was all simply wishful thinking.


	11. Chapter Eleven

It took three years for her to break.

She'd flourished as a ruler, and all knew her as kind and generous. Her weekly rides into the harbor city were met with equal jubilation and expectation. The few times she was ill enough to miss a visit, the citizens sent well wishes in the form of notes, flowers and sweets. When the gypsies learned who the new Princess was they presented themselves at once, and Eric was only mildly confused by her tears of joy at the sight of them. He'd noticed over the years that true joy was a rare occurance in his bride. At one point he'd considered it was their inability to produce a child.

It was not for lack of trying. They came together as a married couple was expected and, although herbalists and doctors had been summoned, it seemed an heir was not in their immediate future. He'd discovered her secret - a potent, brown tea she kept carefully hidden in a chest - by chance, and fought the swell of anger and betrayal. Surely there was some reason she'd kept a child from their lives! He'd meant to confront her blatantly...until he found her weeping as though her heart was breaking all over again in her garden.

"Ariella," He murmured, crouching at her side. "My darling, you must be honest with me. Wholly honest. Please, what can I do to ease your pain? It's been three years and -"

"Three years of never once feeling the water on my feet! Three years without sand on my skin, or salt in my eyes! Three years without...without..." She couldn't continue, and fell into his arms. He hadn't heard her cry like this since before they'd been wed, and it twisted a knife in his heart. No matter what his wife felt, no matter what he'd said when he proposed an engagement, he'd given her his heart without truly thinking of the consequences.

"Do you think the curse would kill you?"

She looked up then, confusion swimming in her bright eyes through the tears. "I...no, I don't. She only means to keep me away,"

"Then we'll test it. Curses come to a conclusion one way or another, don't they?" He brushed her face dry with his thumbs and smiled. "If it seems like something is wrong, if you're hurt, I'll pull you free at once,"

"Oh, Eric! Would you? Please, let's go tonight!" She threw her arms around him and kissed him, positively beaming. "I have been too long from the sea,"

They took their time planning how best to go without the knowledge of the guards. Although safety was paramount, an audience for whatever would take place was not. It was easy enough to make a show of retiring for the evening, which had the servants moving into other hallways and areas of the castle to give them a little more peace and quiet. Then, when they were certain they were alone, they crept away through the servants' quarters dressed in plain clothes and dark cloaks. They walked to the beach on foot, hand in hand. Together they paused at the shore line, and in a fit of determination Ariella slipped her slim hand free and tossed away her shoes.

The waves beckoned, seductive and frightening all at once, and she let the cloak fall free from her shoulders as she walked toward's the water's edge. It was there she stood, wriggling her toes in the wet sand, and finally turned back to look at him. "Eric, if something happens, no one can know you were here," Eric nodded wordlessly and slipped free of his boots to come follow her into the water. "You can tell them you found me...however I become. I'll tell them I couldn't stand it any longer, or that the curse pulled me to it. Like my Aunt's. I'll say whatever it is was inevitable,"

"You speak as though you know something will happen," He mused, glancing down at her. She had a firm look about her, and nodded once.

"Something will,"

With that she lifted her skirts and waded into the sea. She gasped once as the water closed over her feet but continued further on. Eric followed behind.

"Oh Eric! It's perfect! I've never felt so -" A look of surprise came over her, before the pain registered. With a sudden cry she collapsed, and it was all Eric could do to keep her head above water as she thrashed in his arms. "I'm sorry!" She groaned, her body growing heavier by the second. "I-I don't know wha-" Ariella grimaced and clung to him as he dragged her from the sea. "I don't know what's happening!" When Eric felt certain neither of them would be in danger of drowning he collapsed on the beach, his bride still in his arms. Eventually they found the strength to lift their heads and find the cause of her agony, and they tore away her gown. Ariella nearly fainted, and Eric grew pale.

"It's...my legs are..."

"A mermaid," He said, his voice thick. "She made you into a mermaid,"

It was precisely what happened. Where her legs had been was suddenly a slim, scaled green tail. She lifted it in awe and watched it flop back onto the sand with what appeared to be a mix of excitement and apprehension.

"Eric, she made me choose," Their eyes met. "Now I _have_ to go into the sea. I can't be on land with a tail! They'd hang me!" Ariella glanced up at him. "I still have my voice, and I feel like I still look the same, don't I?"

He leaned forward to place a kiss against her cheek, then carefully lifted her into his arms and walked toward the sea. "You are as beautiful as the day I first met you. Will you...will you come back?"

She troubled her bottom lip as she struggled out of her gown and made a sound of affirmation. "When I find her, yes,"

Should I...should I say you've drowned?"

"Yes. Tomorrow morning someone will find my gown on the shore. You'll be back at the castle, and free of any suspicion. You can tell my family the truth. I'll find a way to get a message to them," She turned in his arms and kissed him one last time, grinning ear to ear. "Now, let's see what the rest of the curse means!" With that he released her, and she plunged beneath the surface. For a heartbeat, nothing happened. The water didn't burn her eyes, strangely enough, and when she opened her mouth she found the water flooding her lungs as peacefully as air. It was as she was figuring out how to work a _tail_ of all things, when she saw a ghostly hand coming toward her through the moon beams in the water.

It was long and white, and flowed this way and that with the current. Yet its fingers plainly reached only for her, and the moment she opened her mouth to scream it plunged into her throat. She gagged and choked as it ripped something free, and moments later she felt Eric's strong arms hauling her out again. This time the shock was even more plainly on his face.

 _What? What do I look like?_ She asked, then put a trembling hand to her throat when no sound came free. _Eric! My voice! It's gone!_ While her lips moved, there wasn't even a hoarse croak to be heard. Slowly Eric lowered her into the water, although he kept his arms around her.

"Your hair is red," He said, pulling it from behind her shoulder so that she could see. "It's...curlier, too. Thicker. You...Ariella, you don't look anything like yourself. Look at your hands,"

The Princess did, and gawked at how pale and long the fingers were. Besides that, her hair wasn't just red - it was scarlet! She'd never dreamed of having hair of this sort. She turned toward the shore, gesturing toward it. _My dress,_ She mouthed. _Put it where someone will find it._ He kissed her forehead and rubbed his thumb once affectionately against her cheek, then carefully lowered her back into the sea. The grief clinging to his shoulders was plain, and her heart ached for him. Suddenly the reality of what she was about to do struck her. Was Ursula out there somewhere? Would she recognize her at all? With a tail and red hair and...and...Summoning what courage she could, she wriggled her tail this way and that until she got herself moving.

Just as dawn crested on the horizon she found she could swim whichever way she liked without any sort of difficulty, and determinedly faced the open ocean. Fish tangled themselves playfully in her thick hair, and she thought she could hear seals somewhere in the distance. Deciding to follow them she clenched her fists, gave a flick of her fin, and took off.

* * *

Ariella discovered the ocean to be a very different place fathoms below.

Her tail was a powerful thing, and she managed to cover incredible distances in a very short while. When she found herself growing hungry she hunted for clams or dark colored seaweed, as the one time she tried to make a grab for a crab it nearly pinched her finger off, then _scolded her_! She'd been so stunned by the sound of its little furious voice that she made a thousand silent apologies and swam quickly away. She slept curled in a tidy ball on the ocean floor, or tucked beneath rocks or coral, and found fish or other little bits of sea life dozing safely in her brightly colored hair. It was always a strange sensation to wake, sometime between dawn and sunset, with only the light filtering down through the waves to wake her.

She found dolphins swimming with her without fear, and they seemed as delighted by her twists and leaps as she was. More than once she surfaced to find enormous sailing ships catching the crosswind, their white sails full and tight. One evening she'd even followed the light of fireworks to discover a ship anchored in the deep water, with the merry sound of flutes and violin to draw her in. She'd somehow managed to climb the rope of the anchor and find a perch, where she'd enjoyed the music for some time until a sailor caught her smiling and clapping along.

At least now she knew just how easily she could avoid a harpoon.

For weeks she traveled, hoping she was heading in the right direction, when she came upon a shipwreck. There was the strangest sensation of longing before she slowly started toward it. The little blue and yellow fish that had been accompanying her darted closer, and brushed its fins against her scales. _You'll be fine,_ she thought to her quiet friend. A moment of searching rewarded her with a break in the hull, and she wriggled through. Inside it was gloomy and green, with only small shafts of sunlight to show anything off. Barnacles seemed to have made their home here, as well as an assortment of dark coral and algae. Ariella swam towards a desk lying on its side and wrenched it apart, hunting for anything of interest.

She found money and a few ruined quills, as well as soggy papers that fell to nothing at her touch. There was a hardcover journal, but the ink seemed to have bled away long ago. She was just trying to get the lid open on a water logged chest when she heard, of all things, voices! She whirled in place before pushing off for a hiding place. Who knew what would be hiding out here? What if something else that could speak would try to eat her?

"Aquata, really, I doubt there's anything neat here," She heard, and finally managed to fit herself under an overturned bed. Ariella peeked out and was glad that she couldn't make a sound, because the sight before her was so surprising she might have given herself away otherwise. Seven lovely mermaids swam into the tiny space, and immediately set to scouring the room. They had different colored tails and hair, and were actually dressed! They had seashells, sashes made of fabric and fur, and large starfish covering their breasts. Several had clams clamped decoratively onto their tails, and one had a lengthy string of pearls wrapped twice around her hips.

"Something pretty, Andrina, now help me look! You too, Attina,"

Together she counted seven of them, all working in sync to look scour the ship. One of the girls, a mermaid with dark hair and tanned skin moved her fingers rather than her mouth, but the others seemed to respond to it well enough; in fact, they even gestured in kind! Ariella remained quietly in place watching them, her bright blue eyes roving from one to the next.

Perhaps if she hadn't, her life might have gone a very different direction. As it was, from her place beneath the bed she was able to see a massive grey shadow sliding behind the rotten wood of the hull. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest, and she felt her face grow hot. That huge shape couldn't possibly be a shark...could it? She'd seen them at a distance on the island, but this massive shape couldn't possibly be an _animal_! The other girls were too busy hunting for treasures to take much notice, but they did when a scarlet haired mermaid suddenly shot out from under the bed and took hold of Aquata's arm. They all screamed, while Ariella gestured franctically behind them.

"What does she want?" Arista demanded as she tried to pry her sister's arm loose. "If you can't speak, just sign like Gabriella!"

Finally one of the mermaids took notice of Ariella's terror, and turned in the direction of her attention. She visibly paled, and her hands trembled at her sides. _"Shark!"_ She cried, and yanked on Gabriella's arm. The pink-finned girl turned and dashed away with her, just as the rest of the mermaids fled. It was then that the beast crashed through the rotten wood, sending splinters exploding through the water. Ariella frantically followed the group with the hope that they could lead her to safety. It took nearly an hour of exhausting swimming to lose the beast, and when it finally gave up on the chase for easier prey they collapsed in a heap on the sea floor.

"I thought we were dead!" The long-haired blonde exclaimed, and beat her red tail against the sand. "You saved our lives! I'm Arista," She pointed to each of the others in turn for a round of introductions. "That's Atina and Aquata, they joined our pod together. They're blood sisters. Andriana," The other blonde looked up and gave a little wave before returning to plucking splinters from her fin. "Andriana is my cousin. Adella and Alana found us after their pod was involved in a hurricane," She made a series of gestures with her fingers, which the last girl mimicked, with some variations. "And that's Gabriella. She can't hear or speak, but her fingers speak for her," Seemingly exhausted by her own words, she fell back onto the sand and folded her arms beneath her head. "What's your name?"

Ariella patted her throat and shook her head. The others sat up, and Gabriella swam over with a grin to settle beside her. It was soon clear that Gabriella's finger language was a mystery.

"Just write it in the sand, then. So you can hear, but you can't speak?"

Ariella nodded as she tried to form the letters without them being stirred up and away, but Arista nudged her arm just before she'd finished.

"Ariel? That's pretty! Do you have a pod, Ariel?"

Unable to correct her, as now Arista had grabbed her arm and was pulling her toward the others, she shook her head.

"Oh, you poor thing! No wonder you were hiding! Come on, we're going to head home. You'll come with us, all right? Consider yourself our sister," She was ushered into their midst among a flurry of voices, color and hands. They guided her through the sea, past other shipwrecks and sandbars and islands she couldn't name, until two of them glanced this way and that, then swam down towards a large rock and pushed it aside. The eight mermaids darted into the revealed hole, then turned to pull the stone back into place. The young women swam this way and that stashing their latest finds, while 'Ariel' was left to gawk.

Arista grinned at her from her place on a spongy bed of kelp. "Welcome to your new home, sister. Welcome to our grotto."


	12. Chapter Twelve

She spent most of her time watching the others. Gabriella worked with her to learn the dances the others performed with spellbinding ease. Some nights, if the others found a small island or rocky cropping to make themselves comfortable on, they would work through the finger language Gabriella knew so flawlessly. Soon, 'Ariel' found her own fingers dancing through words just as neatly. It didn't take long for her to improve the lives of the others.

With her intimate knowledge of just how treasures from the land worked, she was able to find the things they wanted in the best working order she could. Arista had a teasingly obsessive passion for corkscrews, which Ariel was thrilled to provide for. Adella found her intrigue in crystal vases, while Alana and Aquata were more fond of things to decorate their hair and tails with.

Before she quite realized it had happened, Ariel had spent two full seasons with her new 'sisters'. One evening, when the moon was high and full and they'd dared to swim into busier currents, the sky was lit with bursts of orange, gold, and purple. While the others petitioned to return to the grotto, Ariel found herself pulled toward the lights. Through the water the colors blended together in a hypnotic display, that was oddly familiar. Anxiously the rest followed until one by one their heads broke through the surface.

Fireworks.

The muffled boom terrified most of the group and, with a flurry of splashing, they fled. Only three of the others stayed with her, Gabriella included and followed as Ariel swam closer and closer to the explosive display. Bobbing on the swells of the sea, was Eric's ship. Ariel gawked openly at the familiar hull. Ignoring Gabriella's pleas to turn back, she swam as close as she dared. Music poured in a soothing cacophony from the deck. Partnered with the sound of laughter, flashes of light from the fireworks, and the smell of freshly roasted boar, her heart ached.

 _'I know him,'_ Her fingers said. _'I know the man who owns the ship,'_

Gabriella dove, only to rise again closer to the chain holding the anchor in place. _'Do you want to climb?'_ She asked, gesturing up. _'Do you want to see?'_

Ariel frantically shook her head. _'No, but I have to tell you things. I have to tell you all the truth. I have to tell you why I'm here.'_ Just then, a bottle splashed into the water. There was another raucous chorus of laughter, and someone began to hoist the anchor. The four mermaids clustered together in the dark and watched as it pulled slowly away. Curious fingers spelled questions she didn't bother to answer. Anita and Arista voiced their own concerns, particularly over Ariel's silent sobbing, but let her slip away beneath the waves.

They gave her the space she needed for several days. By then she felt certain of how to tell her story. Summoned together beneath the waning moon, her fingers wove the words she lacked. Slack-jawed and starry-eyed they stared ahead. She told them about Ursula, about her father and her home. By the time she'd finished, by the time her weeping had stilled her fingers and curled her in a tight, aching ball on the seafloor...she found herself surrounded. Tails and arms wrapped around her. Their reassuring murmurs calmed her tears and they brought her to bed.

The following morning Ariel was startled to find they'd packed for a journey.

 _'Are you going?'_ Bleary with sleep, she clutched at Arista's hand. _'Please, forgive me for not telling you right away! Don't leave me!'_

"We aren't leaving _without_ you!" She laughed, reaching for her bag. "We made a decision! We're going to tell your Prince you're alive, and then...we're going to get you to Ursula."

Water was suddenly poured into her veins. Almost dizzyingly she swam towards the others. _'We...to get to Ursula? How do you know where she is?'_ The others exchanged nervous glances. Their packing slowed. _'Arista, how do you know?'_

"Ursula is...she's sort of the queen. She and her brother rule different parts of the oceans. The Kingdom will take a long time to get to, though. I hope you're ready to swim that far."

The packing began again in earnest.

 _'But why go to Eric? He must hate me for leaving!'_

"Even if he does, he needs to know." Adella swam toward her, and wrapped a length of purple silk around her tail. It billowed like the train of a gown. "It's the kind thing to do. Maybe that way he can get a letter to your father," Adella's eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "If my father were still alive, I would give anything to let him know how I am,"

* * *

They swam with intent. Ignoring the pull to perform, to pause, to explore the wreckage they came across for anything longer than a bite to eat, the pod made their way quickly toward the mainland. The chill of the water lessened, as did the quality. When they finally made their way into the harbor they emptied crab traps to fill their bellies, and cautiously explored the coastline.

"How do we get to him without showing the whole land mass where we are?" Aquata beat the hull of a ship with her tail. "Isn't there a secret tunnel or something? I'm not about to get harpooned or hung like a codfish!"

Ariel frowned but led them towards the small inlet that the river fed into. For three days the mermaids pulled themselves against the current. Their brightly colored tails failed to blend in with their dull surroundings, and it was a struggle to find places to hide in along the bank during the day. Finally they found a place where the water was colder, the current stronger, and pulled themselves through the underground spring that fed into the castle's garden. In the moonlight the flowers looked almost breathtakingly exotic. The fruit bearing trees made her mouth water. While the others stared at the grassy bank, she pulled herself onto the verdant softness with a longing sigh.

They followed her lead.

Perched on the bank and the benches, the pod soon grew comfortable with their new surroundings. Ariel's fingers spellbound them with their stories, and she wove tales of galas and dinners and dancing and horses with such fervor that not one of them noticed the sword-bearing gentleman who strode quietly up behind them. Until the redhead lifted her gaze and gasped.

Eric's face had the lines wrought from worry, and a beard from too much time away from prying eyes that would otherwise encourage him to shave it. "You're alive." His voice trembled, and the sword slipped from his limp hand. "You're okay."

Ariel's fingers flew as she swallowed back a lump in her throat. The others looked uneasily among themselves before Aquata lifted her voice.

"She says she's happy to see you. That the beard suits you."

He laughed, and Ariel's chest tightened. Within three strides he'd moved to embrace her, and settled her on his lap. She leaned back against his arms. "So, your fingers talk now?"

Ariel nodded.

"Well, why don't you tell me where you've been, and who your friends are." His smile held a degree of pain she couldn't recognize. "We have a lot to catch up on." 


End file.
